A Drop in the Ocean
by Grace of the Feathered Pen
Summary: I am joyful that they listened to me and broke up, but for the wrong reasons. This is my sister's ex-fiancé; I shouldn't think of him like this, he is off limits. This is all so confusing, I just wish he would leave, but at the same time, I want him closer to me. I want him to be mine. The only thing left to do is bury my emotions deep down and hope for the best.
1. Snow: Lucky Me

_**A Drop in the Ocean**_

_A drop in the ocean_

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><p><strong> Saturday August 23rd 2014 5:15 pm<strong>

Getting the kids off the train this morning had been so stressful. I am very glad that they are here now, safe, and okay with the people we are going to be living with from now on.

"Let's go to Friendly's!" Beat, exclaims while jumping around Ansem in excitement. I shake my head and chuckle at my brother's energy. He's a sweet boy, and I love him, but he isn't very levelheaded. He's good though, doesn't cause many problems. He fears and respects me, which I guess works in my favor.

"Sure, why not." I hear the orange-eyed man respond, which instantly has Beat jumping onto the man's back and hugging his neck very tightly. Ansem doesn't seem fazed by this though, as he just carries on, and even shifts Beat on his back so he is giving him a piggy back ride. After hearing all the excitement, especially coming from her hyper active brother, Rhyme is now fully awake again and looking around curiously again.

She really is a good baby; she doesn't really cry. She only gets a little fussy when she wants something, and is rather good at communicating with what she wants. She can feed herself now for the most part, and can eat the same food as Beat can. She is a miracle, and I am glad that both Beat and Rhyme survived that car accident. I don't know what I would to without them.

"So, are we taking one car, or..." Zell trails off, rubbing the back of his blonde head sheepishly, like I've seen Beat do.

"We can take mine," I suggest, nodding towards my GMC Sierra, "seats six."

"Perfect. So you will drive then?" Ansem asks.

"Yeah, no prob. Let me buckle Raimu in, then you guys can sit wherever." They all nod in agreement, trailing behind me as I get Rhyme situated in the back. She sits patiently as I get her buckled, staring into my blue eyes with her own.

"What a good baby." Zell coos, watching Rhyme curiously, as if he's never seen a baby before. Truth is, he's never seen a baby like _her_ before. I ruffle her blonde fuzz a little bit, smiling large when she giggles loudly, throw the diaper bag at her feet, and then back away. "After you gentlemen." I gesture to the door the way a servant would, before climbing into the drivers seat.

Once everyone is buckled in, I back out of the driveway, and begin the search for a Friendly's. We pass a park around the corner from our house that seems to be blocked off, but looks very nice and new. Beat stared at the park, and wouldn't stop talking about it for the rest of the way. It turns out Friendly's isn't that far from where we live. As soon as I park the car, Beat jumps out and runs into the building.

"Beat, wait!" I growl to myself a little bit. I see Zell run inside after him, so I know he will be safe enough; I feel like I can trust Zell. I focus on unbuckling Rhyme, who sits still, and adjusts herself to make unbuckling her easier. As soon as her arms are free, she raises her arms and I instantly scoop her up, letting her sit on my hip. She is silent still, looking around the restaurant in awe because of all the colors and shapes she sees.

We sit on one of the benches by the hostess' desk and wait to be called up; Zell has managed to get Beat to stand still and put our names on the waiting list. I look at Beat as he tries desperately to catch one of the many stuffed animals in the claw machine. He has his forehead scrunched up, and tongue sticking out in concentration. It really is a cute sight.

"Snow! I got one! Look at this! I got one!" Beat all of a sudden shoves a black cat in my face. I carefully push his arm down, and congratulate him by ruffling his beanie-covered hair. "I wanna give this one to Rhyme." Rhyme's eyes sparkles as she is given the cat, and she starts to coo softly to the animal, while running her hands up and down it's fuzzy body.

"That was very nice of you, squirt." Beat beams at me for a second, before the balloons floating in the corner of the room steal his attention.

"Table ready for the... Dincht-Villers-Almasy family." We all look at each other curiously, besides Zell who put our name down as that. I shrug my shoulders before following behind Zell, calling for Beat to follow, and Rhyme holds onto her new toy. We follow the hostess to our table, one that is at the back of the restaurant. We take our seats: I'm on the end, with Beat next to me, and Zell next to him. Across from Zell is Ansem, and next to Ansem is Seifer. A waitress brings a baby highchair over next to me, and I sit Rhyme in that while setting the diaper bag at her feet again.

"Hello boys, and girl." The waitress giggles while smiling at Rhyme, who gives a beautiful smile back. "My name is Serah, and I will be your server today." Serah has such a sweet sounding voice, and I can't help but stare up at her; and stare I do. God, she's beautiful. She has soft looking rose-colored hair that is tied over one shoulder, and beautiful blue eyes. Her smile is soft and polite, and fits her face like a glove.

"Here are your menus, gents. You can look those over, but in the meantime would you like anything to drink?" She says this with practice, and grace. It doesn't seem forced, but natural. Almost like she actually _enjoys_ being a waitress.

"Cola." I croak, seeming to have lost my ability to speak. I am glad she is asking for drinks now, because my throat seems unbearably dry right now.

"Milkshake." Zell orders.

"I want a milkshake, too!" Beat answers.

"I'll take a cola as well." Seifer.

"Water will be good for me, thanks, Serah."

"Ah, um... Milk for the baby, too. Could you possibly get the kids a kid's cup with a lid on it?"

"Yeah, sure. Coming right up." She throws a wink in our direction, and I immediately feel my face heat up. But before I can say anything, she is gone again. "Dude, we saw the way you were looking at her. Isn't she a little young?" I hear Zell, but my mind doesn't register what he said until moments later. "Oh, um... I don't know, actually. I'll have to ask her." I mumble that last part to myself.

I am so deep in my thought, that I only just realize Serah is back with our drinks.

"That was fast." Seifer states. Serah only giggles again. "Efficiency is my motto." With an impressive display of memory, she give each of us the drinks we asked for. "So, are you guys ready to order yet?"

"Yeah I think we are." Oh, _shit. _I forgot to check the menu. Quickly I open my menu in hopes of finding something that sounds appealing to me.

Apparently everyone is done ordering, and it's just Rhyme left and me. Everyone looks at me expectantly, as I raise my head slowly from the menu. Coughing, I set the menu back down.

"Chicken tenders with unsalted fries for the lass here. And for me- what do you recommend?" She looks to be in thought for a minute before writing something down, and closing her pad. "Alrighty then. Orders all set. Anything else you need?" _It's now or never._

"Just one question, how old are you?" She looks a little shocked by the question, before offering me a small smile, which makes my stomach do somersaults. "Sixteen." She answers, before disappearing from view again.

"Is that too young?" I ask the men at the table; Beat can care less, he's coloring on his children's menu, and Rhyme is doing the same.

"A little. I don't know how old are you?" Ansem inquires politely.

"Twenty-two." I state simply, staring at Ansem as if his answer could result in either life or death, which to me, it could.

"That's a six year difference, with her being a minor. It has to consensual. If she's interested, she'll make the first move. Anything else will possibly be considered illegal. I sigh, and run a large hand through my blonde hair, before resting my head in the palm of my hand.

Rhyme whines to get my attention, and when she has it, she smiles a large, breathtaking smile, instantly making me smile, too. I ruffle her hair softly, and satisfied with my reaction, she goes back to playing with her cat and coloring. I watch her play for a few minutes, before Beat has my attention.

"When will the food get here."

"Soon."

"But, when."

"In a couple of minutes."

"But I'm hungry now."

"Beat." I warn.

"Snow." He whines.

"I will use your real name."

"Don't do it!"

"Dai-"

"-No!"

"Suk-"

"-Please?"

"En-"

"-I won't say anything else, until the food gets here!"

"O-"

"-No no no no no no no no."

"Jo."

"Snow!" He whines again.

"Why don't you like your name?" Ansem asks kindly, while Zell rubs his shoulder softly.

"He thinks it's too soft. Basically, he is embarrassed." I answer for Beat, knowing he wasn't going to answer anyway.

"Here's your food, boys!" Serah announces, bounding over to our table and setting each plate in front of its correct person. I take my knife and fork, and reach over to cut Rhyme's food for her, only to see it's cut already. "I hope you don't mind," I jump slightly as she leans in close and whispers in my ear, "I took the liberty of cutting up your daughter's food."

"I, uh... she's not my- I'm not married."

"You don't need to be married to have a daughter."

"She's my sister."

"Well, your girlfriend must really love her, huh?"

"No, I don't have a girlfriend."

"No?" She cocks her head to the side in amusement. She sets my plate down, looks like a garden salad, and accidentally brushes her hand against mine.

"Whoops, sorry about that." She giggles, and all of a sudden, she drops her notepad. "Ah, I'm so clumsy." She disappears under the table, before standing up again, notepad in hand.

"Whelp, I'll be around again to check on you guys later." And she disappears from my view again.

After dinner, Ansem even offered dessert. He didn't let me help pay, so I left a generous tip instead. Both Beat and Rhyme fell asleep in the car, so Seifer helped me carry them inside, since he is the next strongest person in the house. Zell was nice enough to set the kids' balloons in the living room for me; we really need to get furniture. I strip Beat down to his underwear, and change him into some pajamas, before pulling his bed sheet on him.

For Rhyme, I go all out. Deciding to use the diaper in the diaper bag, I change my baby sister, without noticing something fall on the floor. I put her in a nice pink onesie with flowers on it, before laying her in her crib with her new cat. As I go to set the diaper bag on the floor by Rhyme's crib, I notice something on the floor. Getting in closer, I realize that it is a piece of paper. I slowly and curiously pick up the slip, attempting to read what's on it, before deciding it's too dark in here.

I softly close the door to my siblings' room behind me, and make my way to my room. Once inside, I turn on the light and read what's on the paper.

(441) 963-7362 -Call me sometime, Serah.

I stare at the paper in amazement, before I smile so wide, my face might crack. I raise the paper to my lips, kissing it slightly, before programming the number in my cell phone. I have wonderful dreams that night.

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><p>Authors Notes: Sorry if I didn't describe physical features in this. I just copied it exactly from the original story <em>Scars<em>. Anyway, this one is going to be my Snow and Lightning story, even though there is a little Snow and Serah in the beginning.

A new installment called Katie's Comments (She interrupts me for the weirdest things.):"Let's go to Friendly's!" -I love Friendly's!

"...but he isn't very levelheaded." -Are you saying he's stupid? Don't write this down, it's a genuine question.

-Rhyme's cute. I want to see a picture of her. (I didn't even have a sentence to pull this from. She interrupts me for everything.)

"He has his forehead scrunched up, and tongue sticking out in concentration. It really is a cute sight."- I have such a strong connection with him. We both have the tongue thing going.

-Wait (she says as she interrupts me randomly again) don't you need money for the claw machine? -Yeah, that's how Zell got him to sit still. (I lingered for one second) -What? -I'm trying to decide if I should write this down. -No, don't. -Nah, I like our conversation.

"Coughing, I set the menu back down." -_Smooth._

"..._ lass_..." -That's a strange word.

-Wait, how old is he? -Twenty-two? -Too old.

"No, I don't have a girlfriend." -That's a move, girl! That's the move he was looking for!


	2. Lightning: Gone Too Far

**A**_** Drop in the Ocean**_

_A change in the weather_

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><p><strong>Saturday August 23rd 2014 1:56 pm<strong>

"Lumina!" I growl as I glare at the object in my hand. It is only two o'clock and I am already enraged. I was about to go to work, grab my sword and leave, when I spotted something out of place. Now I hold it in my hands, as I watch my pink-haired sister bound around the corner practically skipping. The amusement dancing in her bright blue eyes makes me assume her guilty all the more. "Lumina," I hiss, "explain to me _this!"_ I thrust the object I am holding into her hand. Her smile grows twice in size as she stares at the object now in her hand, completely entertained.

"Oh, yes. Look at _this!_ You are picking up some new hobbies I see, Lightning." I feel my left eye twitch in annoyance, as my signature scowl increases ten-fold. "Lumina." I warn. "I will give you two seconds to explain this- this monstrosity- before I end you." The amusement does not fade from my demonic sister, but instead increases still. My hands curl into tight fists, but I don't dare raise a hand against her.

"Well, Light, this here is your sword. And here," she gestures to the hilt, "are some pretty hot pink jewels. I did not know your favorite color is pink, dear." When I growl, she only laughs, her voice sounding sweet like bells, but I know better then to presume innocence from her.

"Explain to me what they are doing on my sword, _dear." _I spit, more furious than when I instigated this interrogation. _I should have started with Vanille. She doesn't irritate me as much._

"Don't ask me." She says casually waving her hand as she hands me back my sword. She pushes her rosy hair off of her shoulder, and puts her hands on her hips. "I'm not the one with the bejewler." A wink is thrown in my direction before she goes skipping off into the direction of her room.

"_Eri!"_ I shout, satisfied when I hear my voice echo off the walls. Now, a new pink haired girl, around the same age as Lumina walks out, pink hair slightly messy from whatever she was just doing.

"What is it, Lightning. You woke me up." I feel my entire body shake with rage. "Light... ning? Oh my gosh, I am so so so so so so so so so so so so sorry! I'll never do it again! I thought that you were done using that sword, I swear! I noticed that it was rusting slightly, and I- I kinda just wanted to test the bejewler on something other than clothes!" She continues shaking like a Chihuahua and I look down at my sword; she's right I can't believe I am just noticing the rust now. All anger evaporates out of me, but I am still not happy. I shift the sword between hands and observing it at all angles. Finally I look back at Eri.

"Whatever. I'm done with you. Go back to sleep." The eleven-year-old nods her head quickly before scurrying back to her room. I look at my sword one last time, before I walk out the front door. I see my brother tending to the plants with a certain softness in his blue eyes. His rosy hair brushes his shoulders as he works, scythe in hand.

"Marluxia." I greet with a level voice and uninterested gaze on my face.

"Lightning." He smiles at me, "Nice sword." I give him a glare, which he responds with a smile. I continue glaring at him before checking to make sure his plants are normal. I look back up at him and smile, with as much false sweetness as I can muster. I thrust the sword in his hand, before turning on my heel and walking away.

"You like it? You can have it." I can imagine the surprised look on his face, as I never just hand him weapons. However, I know I can trust him to dispose of it properly.

"Light, wait! What am I supposed to do with this hunk of junk?" Without turning around, I flash him the finger, and continue walking in the direction of my black Moto Guzzi motorcycle. Before Marluxia can say anything more, I am straddling my motorcycle, helmet on, and leave for work. I focus on driving carefully through the streets of Radiant Garden. If I got into an accident, then not only do I have to take off of work, but no one will be left to care for the teenagers living in my house.

For some reason, the drive to the Guardian Corps seemed longer even though I took the same exact route I do every day. Nevertheless I arrived safely and their is something to be joyful in that. I make my way into the government building, taking on the appearance of a prison on the outside, and a cross between a hotel and a hospital on the inside. The whole place is comfortable looking, and decorated in warm colors, but it's lacking a certain characteristic that would actually make it comfortable.

I greet the woman at the front desk, and she nods politely back, before I descend the many stairs it takes to get to the storage facility. Going down the stairs would be considered a chore, if not for the fact that I am a trained soldier who has built the endurance _not_ to feel sore after a small work-out. It is only eight flights down; but if that isn't daunting, then the creepy flickering lights, and abandoned feeling that gets stronger with every flight is. The stairways smell more like bleach as I go down, and when I am finally on the floor I have to be on, I don't hesitate; I want this done and over with quickly so I can leave this place and get to work in my office.

"Commander Farron! To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" Reggie is a fairly nice man of dark skin and stands nearly a head taller than me. He is stern with many people, but tries desperately to get on my good side because of his little infatuation that he is awful at hiding.

"My cousin bejeweled my rusty sword. I need a new one." I say nonchalantly, as if what I said was the most normal thing to ever occur. Reggie lets out a low whistle before grabbing the key ring off of his hip, and begins searching for the correct key.

"Yeah, that's no good. A commander needs her weapon, right? Hey, so Lightning. I was wondering... if maybe you would like to go out sometime? With me, I mean. I didn't exactly clarify before; I mean I guess I thought it was pretty obvious. Unless you didn't catch it the first time... Nah, you're not an idiot- not that I ever thought you're an idiot! I-" It's slightly amusing to hear Reggie get so nervous about asking out a girl, and I let him nervously mumble on, before I cut him off semi-politely.

"Thanks, but no thanks Reggie. I have other things to focus on." I push past him into the dark room he unlocked for me. The room is painted black, with clean black tiles on the floor, and there is only one light in the whole room, giving it a warehouse feel. There is artillery in here, but I am only interested in the swords hanging on the back wall, shimmering slightly, reflecting the light cast from the one lamp.

After about ten minutes of looking through sword after sword, testing each one, I decide upon one that is slightly heavy to a normal person, but with my strength it's no different than a normal sword. I stuff the brand new sword into the sheath at my side, and leave through the door in which I came. I hear a "Goodbye, Commander Farron," from behind me, but I don't turn back or acknowledge it in any way. I just head back up the stairs until I reach natural light again.

Passing the receptionist again, I this time head to the elevator, press the fifteenth button, and watch as the doors close. The elevator is nice, decorated in red-velvet. I just don't understand why they put so much effort into something that hardly anyone sees. When the doors slide open, I head to the end of the hall, where I open the door to my own personal office. It's simple looking, lacking in true creativity, seeing as I am the one who gets to personalize it. _Maybe I should bring Eri and Serah here and get them to give it more feeling? No, that's ridiculous, this is supposed to be a professional atmosphere._

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><p><strong>Saturday August 23rd 2014 7:32 pm<strong>

I just finished my paperwork when the intercom from the receptionist buzzed.

"_Commander Farron? A man says he has an appointment with you?"_

"Name please?" I release the button, tiredly. I didn't know I had appointments today.

_"Thomas Wealth?"_ Oh god, that bastard?

"Fine, send him up." I wait a couple of minutes before a I hear a low knock on my door. "Come in." I sit up strait, and pull my pink hair over my shoulder, slapping on my best-unimpressed face, which isn't hard, that's just my face. The door opens and a tall man, maybe three heads taller than me steps through the door, shutting it behind him. Long silver hair is pulled back into a professional looking pony tail. Green eyes stand out against pale skin, and pale skin stands out against the dark suit he wears. He is a very handsome man, not that I would ever admit that out loud.

"Lightning, my rose. You're looking as beautiful as ever."

"Cut the crap, Thomas. Why are you here?" No matter how handsome he is, hell would freeze before I enjoy his company. This asshole has been pining for me for eight years now. He has been stalking me since I was thirteen, not that I would ever acknowledge him. He has been fighting tooth and nail for my love, but I would sooner punch the pedophile in a public place in front of my siblings than ever requite his love.

"Oh, dear. Getting right to the point as always I see. Some things never change." I growl, mimicking the sound a bloodthirsty tiger might make all too well.

"You would know, considering you have been set on me for eight years now."

"Oh yes, but Lightning, that was when you were underage. You are twenty-one now. Legal for more things than just drinking." He slowly glides closer to me, and I just fix him one of my customary glares as I stand my ground.

"Why are you here?" I demand. Left eye twitching as I see he continues to draw near me.

He lets out a sigh when he realizes I don't want to play his games with him. "I have come to win your heart, obviously." I scoff before standing up from my chair, and looking him in the eyes.

"Bullshit." There is no way I would ever submit to him. The bastard is so sneaky, I only blink for a second and he has already appeared in front of me. Before I can react, he has grabbed my hand and placed a feather light kiss on the back. His hand is freezing, and his lips are so soft, I want to scream. I yank my hand away, and punch him in the face hard. He stumbles back a bit, but doesn't look surprised. In fact, the douche is smiling. "You just want me in your bed." A cat like grin graces his face as he strolls over behind me and gestures to the red couch I have in my office.

"Beds can wait. If it was up to me, I would be having my wicked way with you right now." He whispers in my ear. I shiver in disgust, but he seems to think it's in excitement as he wraps his hands around my waist, drawing my arms behind me. _Why aren't I fighting back? _ I shiver slightly from the fear I feel now. I have never been in such close proximity with a man before, and now that I have the devil's spawn touching me with his ice-cold skin, and breathing his hot breath on my ear, I am rendered incapable of fighting back. Years of training are thrown away. As I try to get my arms free, I realize his hold on me is strong, and I would be having a hard time escaping even if I was in the right state of mind. "I have some information, _Claire_. Information you would find very interesting." I stiffen, more than I was before. When I speak, my voice is barely a whisper.

"What do you know?" A chuckle sounds from behind me, before he leans in again, pressing his lips to my ear, and licking around the shell, making me shiver as his wet muscle invades my personal space.

"Everything." His hot breath does nothing for my nerves, besides make them worse. I feel like I am falling into someplace where no on can find me; far from the rest of the world.

"What do you want?" I shudder, my voice cracking slightly as the walls I had built up to protect me come crumbling down. I blink back the tears in my eyes, as I beg that it isn't what I think it is.

"You know what I want." He slides his hands around my waist, digging his fingers down hard enough that I am almost sure there will be a bruise there later. I tremble slightly as I realize my whole life has the possibility of going to hell. I shake my head in disbelief. I have to do something, or else my family will be in danger; all because of me.

"N-no. I-I can't." My voice is trembling now, and I'm sure that if he weren't completely interfering my personal space, he wouldn't hear me.

"The choice is yours. Do what you think is right, my rose, my dove, the light of my life. Here's my number. Call me when you have made up your mind." His hand snakes around my waist and I assume he is digging into his pocket. I hear the rustling of paper before his adventuring hands sneak up to my midriff. Still they escalate until he has reached my breasts. He slips the piece of paper into my bra, letting his freezing hand rest for longer than necessary, before pulling away. With one last final act of molest, he rest both hands on my ass, and kisses my neck, in an action that is exchanged only by lovers, but I just feel used. He then steps away and I am just now realizing how weak my legs are. I am aware of a door slamming shut, and it's that noise that seems to break me out of my spell. I fall to the ground, and cry for the first time in many, many years.

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><p>Author's Note: Sorry if this chapter is a little weird. I had something else, and then I realized that it was just as boring as my first chapter to <em>Up Against the Wall.<em> Stupid Thomas Wealth. He scares Lightning, and she isn't scared of anything! Hmm, I wonder what he knows...

Katie's Comments: "The amusement dancing in her bright blue eyes makes me assume her guilty all the more." -Wait! Guilty? She aint guilty. What, did she throw a rock at her sister? Happens...

"I'm not the one with the bejewler." -Fighting with flair.

"I glare at my cousin and she just stares at me indifferently, brown eyes staring at me sleepily. She snaps out of whatever made her think standing up to me was a good idea, and starts quaking with fear." -Wait! I actually like Lightning. Why is she so mean, Julia? (starts singing) Why you gotta be so rude?

"His rosy hair brushes his shoulders as he works, scythe in hand." -Marluxia. Because everyone knows Claire is Marluxia's brother. I mean sister.

"He is stern with many people, but tries desperately to get on my good side because of his little infatuation that he is awful at hiding." -No one gets on Claire's good side. No one.

"Yeah, that's no good. A commander needs her weapon, right? Hey, so Lightning. I was wondering... if maybe you would like to go out sometime? With me, I mean. I didn't exactly clarify before, I mean I guess I thought it was pretty obvious. Unless you didn't catch it the first time... Nah, you're not an idiot- not that I ever thought you're an idiot! I-" -Again I say '_Smooth.'_

- Wait? What's sassafras? -I don't know, tea? -Oh. What's more useful? Sassafras or tobacco? -I don't know. -Are you writing this down? -Yeah. -This is my Social Studies homework.

-Just stop cursing already!

"Oh yes, but Lightning, that was when you were underage. You are twenty one now. Legal for more things than just drinking." -Oh schnap. Did you write down any of this. -No. -Well then this is pointless.

-Wait! What's his name? -Thomas. -Oh, no doubt. Who would want to play games with a man named Thomas? -Not me, says the girl who has two guy friends named Thomas.

-Okay, I have said like four jokes in the last five sentences. You're really failing at this.

"A cat like grin graces his face as he strolls over behind me and gestures to the red couch I have in my office." -Okay, that's gross. Wait, how old is Claire? -Twenty-one. -And how old is Jonathan? -Thomas. -Whatever. -I'll think about it. -Make him, like, fifty-seven.

"A chuckle sounds from behind me, before he leans in again, pressing his lips to my ear, and licking around the shell, making me shiver as his wet muscle invades my personal space." -Okay, I don't get why people do that. Don't they get earwax on their tongue? -People expect people to have good hygiene. -Oh, well, I feel bad for the person who licks my ear.

"Everything." -Wait, everything? That makes him sound like a stalker.


End file.
